10 - Viva Lewes

What do you do when your
technically capable son is at
university and the computer
system he has managed, fixed
and periodically upgraded
ever since he was 11 years old,
stops working, and you are a
technophobe? Some local, immediate
and trustworthy help is
required, and I make the call to
a new computer fixing and retail
company - Iconic.
I explain the problem as best
I can: the computer had been
failing to start up first time
for a month or so, but now
perpetually cycles through the
starting up bit, giving various
options of which even the ‘start
Windows with last known good
configuration that worked’ does
not work. I don’t tell them in
my layman’s language of the
computer’s repetitive sick frog
sounds.
“Well,” says the upbeat person
on the end of the phone, “we are
very busy but we will endeavour
to get someone out today.”
I get a call a short while later
saying that someone called
James would arrive at 3pm. A
smartly dressed young man
in black, not obviously geeky,
arrives promptly, carrying a
b u s i n e s s t r y o u t . . .
iCoNiC
Computer sales and repairs
laptop bag. I express my fear
that the problem “might be
terminal”. He cheerily dismisses
this saying “Most things can be
fixed one way or another”. I lead
him to the computer in a corner
of my bedroom, and consider
what a personal thing it is, your
computer, a bit like a diary.
James makes me feel at ease, as
he quickly and calmly sets to
work, explaining what he is doing.
He asks, “Have you tried to
do a Windows repair?” Errr...
We move on to back-ups. I feel
rather pleased with myself; I
bought an external hard drive
during my degree, after a stern
talk from my son, and have
periodically backed up my work.
“Well” James says “this is very
good news, lots of customers
may not back up, and this can
cause upset”. A diplomatic description
I think. Yet he assures
me that 98% of the time data
can be recovered, although it
can up to two days because it is a
lab service. He cites a university
student who did not back up,
who they helped recover data. I
feel quite smug at this point.
“I’m going to try to see if we
can repair from disc”, and he
pulls another disc out of his bag:
“This can fix minor problems.”
However, after 5 minutes,
he suggests it might be more
serious, “I am going to take
your hard drive out and plug
it into my laptop’. Apparently
the problem is likely to be a
corrupted operating system, or
hard drive or Ram failure.
The ‘blue screen’ thing appears
– something I know signifies
serious computer problems, and
a place my son had forbidden me
to venture.
It is only a short while later
when he announces: “It’s looking
like we need to scan the
computer overnight.” The frog
is definitely ill. James unplugs
and takes the patient away. The
next day I get the call: “I am
afraid your computer has multiple
sector hard-drive failure.”
I realise then that it’s terminal
and there’s nothing for it but to
replace said frog with prince.
We discuss various options and
I decide to go into their shop
to sort out my future computer
with Josh, who is most patient
and helpful. In no time at all I
am sorted!
Nina Murden
Iconic Computers 01273 476 914
www.iconiccomputers.co.uk
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